Inside Politics: Breslin holdover is out as McCoy's deputy

Published 5:13 pm, Thursday, July 19, 2012

Michael Perrin, Deputy Albany County Executive addresses the gathering during a hearing in Albany, N.Y. put on by the Committee on Establishment and Project Review on the fate of the Albany County Nursing Home April 5, 2012. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union)

Perrin represented a significant amount of institutional knowledge in the ways the county and its $560 million budget work.

But his pairing with McCoy was unusual and, sometimes, downright awkward when the new county executive criticized aspects of Breslin's administration with which Perrin was deeply involved — notably, the county's rental agreement with a private developer for its Clinton Avenue Family Court building, which McCoy panned as a bad deal for taxpayers.

Perrin served as Breslin's deputy throughout the former county executive's fierce budget battles with the McCoy-led county legislature for the last several years, at the center of which was Breslin's desire to shutter the money-losing county nursing home.

As chairman of the legislature, McCoy was a forceful advocate of building a new county-run facility, a position that has softened considerably since he's become steeped in the county's fiscal realities over the past 6½ months.

There is also a question of politics.

Arguably, McCoy's biggest affront to the Breslins since January may not even have been policy related. He took it upon himself to introduce Shawn Morse, the legislature's new chairman, at an event kicking off his primary challenge to Breslin's brother, state Sen. Neil Breslin, in May.

Perrin effectively ran Neil Breslin's 2010 re-election campaign but, given the change of guard in the executive's office, had taken no official role this time around.

Asked to characterize Perrin's departure, Rozak was adamant that he "was not asked to leave."

In a statement, McCoy called Perrin "an integral part of Albany County government for a very long time" and added: "I want to thank him for his years of service and for helping this administration transition."

McCoy's office did not say who will replace him Perrin in the post, which is budgeted at $106,869 annually.

Coyne says, prove it

Democratic Assembly candidate Jim Coyne — a man who, for better or worse, knows a thing or two about large construction projects — has a challenge for the Albany Convention Center Authority: If it's such a good deal, prove it.

Specifically, Coyne suggests that the state-created authority charged with building Albany's proposed $220 million downtown convention center offer the same financial incentives currently on the table for the publicly-financed project — namely, the land, the rest of the $75 million state seed money and access to a percentage of the county's hotel/motel tax — as part of a solicitation to get private developers to bid on it.

If the success of the project is as likely as its boosters — including Assemblyman Jack McEneny, who Coyne is running to succeed — claim, developers should jump at the opportunity, Coyne said.

"If all the projections are true, then you'd have a line a block long to do it. If they get zero (proposals), maybe that should open some eyes," Coyne said, noting that the authority was already able to slash the cost of the project from $400 million by spinning off a related parking garage and hotel to private developers.

The convention center will be an interesting issue in the six-way Democratic primary not only because McEneny is one of the project's biggest supporters but because he also serves as Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver's appointee to the convention center authority.

McEneny has said it's not yet clear whether he'll remain on board after his final Assembly term ends in December.

Of the other Democrats in the primary, the one with the most clearly-defined position on the controversial project is County Legislator Christopher Higgins, who has been a vocal opponent for several years.

Gavin Donohue, the authority board's chairman, dismissed Coyne's idea, saying the authority was created by state legislation to build the convention center, not farm out that construction to a private firm.

"Jim needs to review the law and how the authority was established," Donohue said.

Coyne served as county executive from 1976 to 1991 and presided over the construction of the county-owned arena now known as the Times Union Center — a project that ultimately helped land him in federal prison after his conviction on conspiracy, bribery and extortion charges. He has maintained his innocence.

Inside Politics is compiled by Jordan Carleo-Evangelist. Reach the Insider via email at jcarleo-evangelist@timesunion.com, 454-5445 or on Twitter @JCEvangelist_TU